The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has named the recipients of the 2012 LEED for Homes Awards, recognizing projects, developers and homebuilders that have demonstrated leadership in the residential green building marketplace. The awards will be presented during the Residential Summit reception on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo held in San Francisco. The award categories recognize innovative multi- and single-family projects, production builders, affordable housing projects and developers, an overall commitment to LEED for Homes and Project of the Year.
“This year’s leadership recipients represent a dynamic field showcasing the range of residential developments that certify under USGBC’s LEED for Homes program each year,” said Nate Kredich, vice president, Residential Market Development, USGBC. “The fact that our project of the year is an affordable housing development that achieved LEED Platinum certification is a shining example of how diversified the LEED for Homes portfolio has become.”
Winners for this year include:
- Project of the Year – The Puyallup Longhouse’s the Place of Hidden Waters: This LEED Platinum certified housing project is a culturally and environmentally responsive new model for the Puyallup Tribe in the Pacific NW. It’s located on the Puyallup reservation on a hill overlooking the Puget Sound tide flats, which were traditional Puyallup tribal lands. The buildings are designed to emulate the rectangular, shed roofed form of a traditional Coast Salish longhouse using a variation of the modern townhouse courtyard building. Structural insulated panels with excellent air sealing for a well-insulated envelope, triple pane windows and ground source heat pumps for both domestic hot water and hydronic heating systems are some of the sustainable features.
- Outstanding Production Builder – Clarum Communities for Cambridge Plaza: Located in Palo Alto, Calif., Cambridge Plaza is a three-story townhome project constructed by Clarum Homes that achieved a LEED Platinum rating thanks to sustainable building materials and a commitment to energy and water efficiency. Its “smart” design features include a photovoltaic system and a thermal solar hot water system using a 80 gallon pre-heat storage tank and a G.E. GeoSpring electric heat pump back up waterheater.
- Outstanding Affordable Developer - Avesta Housing for Oak Street Lofts: This project is the first affordable multifamily building to achieve LEED Platinum in Maine. The building is a four-story, 37-unit building located in the heart of Portland's Art District. The project stands out as it incorporates many design innovations, which illustrate that even affordable housing projects, with limited capital budgets, can achievehigh rates of energy efficiency and enhanced comfort for occupants. The building achieved a preliminary energy savings of 35 percent better than ASHRAE with a 40.94 percent energy cost savings.
- Outstanding Affordable Project – Rio Vista Apartments, Abode Communities: This is the first development in LA County to co-locate affordable housing with an educational component owned and operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District on the District’s surplus land. The LEED Platinum apartments transform a vacant parking lot into a model joint-use development addressing the needs of 50 low-income families. The site is a high-density infill, a former brownfield with existing infrastructure, and is located with access to outstanding community resources. Rio Vista is energy efficient (exceeds Title 24 by 40 percent) and includes an edible garden atop the roof with a central trellised courtyard providing a shaded outdoor space to reduce heat island effects.
- Outstanding Commitment to LEED for Homes – McGuyer Homebuilders, Inc. (MHI): The Texas-based company is the only national-scale production homebuilder that has successfully implemented LEED for Homes across multiple communities and across multiple product offerings. MHI is a practical, profit-oriented builder who pursues LEED as a strategy to meet client needs. MHI strives to find ways to successfully compete with the publically traded homebuilding companies by offering something new and different.
- Outstanding Multifamily Project – Specialized Real Estate Group for Eco Modern Flats: This LEED Platinum project is a gut rehab of a 96-unit market rate apartment complex built between 1968 and1972 and located in Fayetteville, Ark. The developers’ goals were to deliver a product that was not currently available in the market—modern, urban, green multifamily rental—and to save operations costs through energy and water-saving updates. In addition to the rehab itself, a blog and other informational resources were developed, and hundreds of people toured a model unit highlighting 32 sustainable strategies employed in the project.
- Outstanding Single Family Project – Brooks Residence (architect Isabelle Duvivier): Located in Venice, Calif., the Brooks Residence is a 1,700 sq. ft. LEED Platinum home. Homeowner and architect, Isabelle Duvivier, purchased the 100-year-old home in a well-established, low-income neighborhood in order to restore it. The goal was to reduce the footprint/impact of the house on the planet through water, energy and material efficiency. Above and beyond that goal, the home designworks to restore habitats for birds, bees and butterflies and creates educational opportunities for the local community. +
Related Stories
Warehouses | Mar 29, 2023
Construction completed on Canada’s first multi-story distribution center
Construction was recently completed on Canada’s first major multi-story industrial project, a distribution center in Burnaby, British Columbia. The project provides infrastructure for last-mile delivery in a world where consumers have come to expect next-day and same-day delivery, according to Ware Malcomb, the project's architect of record.
AEC Innovators | Mar 27, 2023
Leading architecture, engineering firm HED appoints new co-CEOs
As children of immigrant families, Van Herle and Suarez will bring a diverse perspective into a historically underrepresented industry and advance the firm’s mission of creating a positive impact for clients, communities, and the world.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 26, 2023
UC Davis Health opens new eye institute building for eye care, research, and training
UC Davis Health recently marked the opening of the new Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building and the expansion of the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC). Located in Sacramento, Calif., the Eye Center provides eye care, vision research, and training for specialists and investigators. With the new building, the Eye Center’s vision scientists can increase capacity for clinical trials by 50%.
Libraries | Mar 26, 2023
An abandoned T.J. Maxx is transformed into a new public library in Cincinnati
What was once an abandoned T.J. Maxx store in a shopping center is now a vibrant, inviting public library. The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) has transformed the ghost store into the new Deer Park Library, designed by GBBN.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 24, 2023
Multifamily developers offering new car-free projects in car-centric cities
Cities in the South and Southwest have eased zoning rules with parking space mandates in recent years to allow developers to build new housing with less parking.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 24, 2023
Coastal multifamily developers, owners expect huge jump in insurance costs
In Texas and Florida, where Hurricane Ian caused $50 billion in damage last year, insurance costs are nearly 50% higher than in 2022.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 24, 2023
Average size of new apartments dropped sharply in 2022
The average size of new apartments in 2022 dropped sharply in 2022, as tracked by RentCafe. Across the U.S., the average new apartment size was 887 sf, down 30 sf from 2021, which was the largest year-over-year decrease.
Government Buildings | Mar 24, 2023
19 federal buildings named GSA Design Awards winners
After a six-year hiatus, the U.S. General Services Administration late last year resumed its esteemed GSA Design Awards program. In all, 19 federal building projects nationwide were honored with 2022 GSA Design Awards, eight with Honor Awards and 11 with Citations.
Transportation & Parking Facilities | Mar 23, 2023
Amsterdam debuts underwater bicycle parking facility that can accommodate over 4,000 bikes
In February, Amsterdam saw the opening of a new underwater bicycle parking facility. Located in the heart of the city—next to Amsterdam Central Station and under the river IJ (Amsterdam’s waterfront)—the facility, dubbed IJboulevard, has parking spots for over 4,000 bicycles, freeing up space on the street.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 22, 2023
New Jersey’s new surgical tower features state’s first intraoperative MRI system
Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center recently opened its 530,000-sf Helena Theurer Pavilion, a nine-story surgical and intensive care tower designed by RSC Architects and Page. The county’s first hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center, a 781-bed nonprofit teaching and research hospital, was founded in 1888.
